The masterclass is entitled ‘Guernsey – leading the way in private equity’ and will be held on May 1st.

“We are delighted to be able to offer private equity professionals in the City this fantastic opportunity to hear from one of the industry’s leading lights on the latest issues currently facing the sector,” announced Horace Camp of the Guernsey Investment Funds Association (GIFA), which is the local industry’s representative body.

“He will then be joined by a team of Guernsey experts who will use working examples to show introducers of business the potential benefits to them and their clients of domiciling private equity funds in the Island,” he added.

The latest figures from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) show that overall funds business in Guernsey grew another GBP13.7bn (8.3%) in the final three months of 2007, taking the total value of funds under management and administration in the Island to another record high of GBP178.2bn at the end of December – up GBP48bn (37%) during the year.

The most eye-catching results came in the private equity asset class, where values increased by GBP5.5bn (19%) during the quarter and GBP13.6bn (66%) year on year, to reach GBP34bn at the end of 2007.

Peter Niven, Chief Executive of GuernseyFinance – the promotional agency for the Island’s finance industry, observed that:

“The value of private equity funds in Guernsey has grown impressively during the past couple of years. This illustrates how significant numbers of business introducers from across Europe and in particular the City of London already view the Island as the jurisdiction of choice for private equity."

“Guernsey has established this position through the accumulation of a wealth of experience and expertise and the continued development of a first-class infrastructure, including the availability of modern structures and fast-track regulatory approval processes. This is a message which at the masterclass we will be emphasising to both our existing contacts and those introducers who don’t yet have any experience of using Guernsey for private equity business."

“We have started 2008 strongly and are looking to enhance existing and find new sources of business so that we can maintain our position as a leading jurisdiction for private equity into the future,” he concluded.

The masterclass is the first in the ‘Achieving Excellence’ event series that Guernsey will be hosting throughout 2008.